Page
after info-packed page with the lowdown on what's up and coming for Genesis and
Game Gear and when these carts will be out and about. Here's your first peek at
Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Taz-Mania, Little Mermaid, Home Alone, Streets of Rage
II, Batman Returns, and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Also check out the
new Game Gear titles like Shinobi II, Streets of Rage, Chuck Rock, and David
Robinson's Supreme Court.

Sega Interview20

Before
he was a spiky ball of speed, Sonic The Hedgehog was a bright idea in the mind
of Yuji Naka. Meet the guy who first thought that a blue hedgehog might be
cool.

Sonic's
back, with more tricks, more speed, more levels, and more capacity than the
original trail-blazing hit. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is twice as big as the
original Sonic The Hedgehog with more new worlds to explore and new enemies to
overcome. But this time Sonic has a friend to help him out -- a two-tailed fox
called Tails, who can help him fight enemies, and pick up rings.

Robotnik's
back too, of course, with more of his evil contraptions and devices. We'll have
to wait and see if these diabolical contraptions will be a match for Sonic's
new speed and agility.

Although
Sonic 2 has more detailed graphics and scenery than the original, we don't
think you'll have time to stop and admire it. The action will be non-stop, and
the pace will be frenetic.

(For
more information on Sonic The Hedgehog 2, see the interview with Sonic's
creator.)

We recently had the opportunity to visit with Yuji
Naka, the creator of Sonic The Hedgehog, at the Sega Technical Institute in Pal
Alto, California. Naka and the original Sonic team are currently working on
Sonic The Hedgehog 2, the exciting sequel planned for release later this year.

The combination of Japanese programmers and artist
with local resources make the development of Sonic 2 a truly exciting
American-Japanese joint effort.

SV: We understand you're
busy working on Sonic The Hedgehog 2. What can you tell us about it?

NAKA: For one thing, Sonic
2 is twice the size of Sonic 1. For another, Sonic has to run through more
levels...many more than in Sonic 1. Also, the new Mobius worlds are brighter,
crisper, and much more detailed. However, we think players will be too busy
getting through the game to spend any time enjoying the scenery. Especially
since Sonic will have a new friend.

SV: A new friend?

NAKA: A fox with two tails.
We call him Tails, naturally. He helps Sonic out of tight spots, and can help
Sonic defeat enemies.

SV: How many people are
working on Sonic 2? How does this compare with the original Sonic 1?

NAKA: A total of twelve
people are working on Sonic 2. That's 30% more than working on the original
game. It's basically the same team as the original, with another programmer and
more designers and artists. The original team had three artists, two game
designers and three sound and music guys.

SV: Who is writing the
music?

NAKA: The bass player from
a famous Japanese band called Dream Come True wrote the original music for the
game. The other two guys worked on the sound effects and on converting the
music to a video game format. The same guys are working on the music for Sonic
2.

SV: What were some of the
things you thought about when you first created the Sonic character?

NAKA: At first we used a
character that looked like a rabbit with ears that could extend and pick up
objects. As the game got faster and faster, we needed to come up with a special
characteristic to give our character some power over his enemies. I remembered
a character I had thought about years ago who could roll himself into a ball
and slam into enemies. Hedgehogs can roll themselves into a ball, so we decided
to go from a rabbit to a hedgehog.

SV: How about the name
Sonic?

NAKA: Because our new
character could move really fast on screen we were looking for a name that
suggested speed. One of the designers said "Supersonic" and the
"Sonic" part stuck.

SV: Where did the other
characters in the game come from?

NAKA: We wanted one of the
characters in the game to be egg-shaped, so we created Robotnik. It was a great
character, but since it couldn't be the main character, we made him the bad
guy.

NAKA: I had a part-time job
programming games while I was in school. I worked on Fujitsu and Sharp
computers. I joined Sega in Japan and then came to America last year.

SV: What is your on-going
philosophy about creating video games?

NAKA: I want to make
interesting games. I want to show my dreams and visions to kids. But most
important, I want to create something that will make the player happy. I want
the player to be surprised and have fun.

SV: Do you have any
advice for people who want to create video games?

NAKA: Yes. Play lots of
games. Not just play them to win, but think about them critically and analyze
their strengths and weaknesses, constantly looking for ways to improve them.
They should also draw on their own experiences for inspiration. Everything I do
in my life, I think about how it would fit into a game.

During
our visit to the Sega Technical Institute, we confirmed what we had suspected
all along -- Sonic 2 is going to be the hottest titled of the year. Period.
Here's why:

Sonic
2 is bigger, faster, and more challenging, and more fun than the original. It
has more levels, with a secret zone that you'll have to work hard to find, and
new bonus rounds that you'll have to get through to get the Chaos Emeralds.

Sonic
2 will be coming out on Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega CD. The increased capacity
of the Sega CD version will allow additional zones, as well as special bonus rounds
between zones. In these bonus rounds, Sonic takes you on a first person roller
coaster ride, a half pip maze complete with enemies, traps, and dead ends. You
control Sonic as he tries to get through the maze, and you go on with him as he
takes on those 360 degree loops and 90 degree turns.

And
that's just between the zones. All versions of Sonic 2 will have new zones,
with new tricks, new enemies, and new challenges. Wait till you try the new
Green Hill Zone, the new Metropolis Zone, or the Chemical Factory. Or Death
Egg, where you get to visit Robotnik's ship.